Grain-cleaning apparatus.



No: 857,065. PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907. J. B. HOLGATB & G. GLOUGH. GRAINCLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1904.

JWMZW I'Nl mmms prrnns co., WASHINETON n. cy

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

JACOB BELL HOLGATE AND CHARLES CLOUGI-I, OF BLACKBURN, ENGLAND; AIDCLOUGI-I ASSIGNOB TO SAID I-IOLGATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1907.

Application filed November 18, 1904. Serial No. 283,340.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JACOB BELL HOL- GATE and CHARLES OLoUon, subjectsof the King of Great Britain, residing at Blackburn, in the county ofLancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements inGrain-Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has reference to apparatus for separating, by means of aircurrents, the light particles dust &c from grain, semolina, or othergranular .materials the dust being afterward separated from the aircurrents as desired at any convenient point. Hitherto apparatus forperforming the above operations has consisted of fans contained in closecases and connectedv by air trunks with the separating and collectingappliances. Our invention dispenses with separate fans trunks &c and atthe same time gives more uniform and e'tficient separation by the use ofa novel air propeller in conjunction with a feed hopper adjacentthereto.

In carryin out the invention we make use of pliances substantially asillustrated on the c rawings on which Figure l is a plan and Fig. 2 acentral longitudinal section of one arrangement under our invention.Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of a modification.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2. 1 is a rotatable shaft upon which aresecured end disks 2; and 3 are vanes or blades fixed into the disks 2thus forming an air propeller without an inlet of air to its center butinducing a cur- .rent of air of uniform velocity the whole width of itsface by friction or moving of its periphery through the air. When feebleair currents only are desired the vanes 3 may be dispensed with, merelya cylinder 3 connecting the disk 2 and slightly roughened on its surfacebeing employed as shown in. Fig. 3. 4 is a casing surrounding the airpropeller and preferably being closer thereto at the point 5 than at 6,while at 7 the casing is extended to form expansion spaces and depositing compartments 8', 9. wardly moving side of the propeller isplaced a hopper 10 from which the material to be treated is fed by anyconvenient means so as At the up-- to fall across the current of airfrom the propeller and into the compartment 8. Any light particles anddust in the material are driven up by the air current over the edge ofthe compartment or directing plate I] where the lighter particles fallinto the compartment 9 while the dust is carried back with the aircurrent to the downwardly moving side of the propeller where beingdriven by centrifugal force against the casing it escapes through anopening 12 into a compartment 13 whence it is removed as desired. Thearrows show the direction of motion. Several compartments such as 9 maybe used to receive particles of different degrees of lightness. Thehopper being disposed close to the propeller the current or film of airfrom the latter is diverted and passes up the front of the hopperthrough the fallingn'iaterial and into the expansion space thence backover the top of the hopper (which is closed) and through a regulatingvalve 14 to the periphery of the propeller again thus continuallycirculating and separating the dust and light particles without leavingthe casing t. 15 is a feed spout or trunk to the hopper 10 from outsidethe casing.

Referring to Fig. 3 which is a sectional view showing a modificationunder our invention suitable in use for treating very fine material. Inthis arrangement the feed hopper first delivers the material on to asieve 16 which is caused to vibrate, rotate, or reciprocate in any usualway. The material is thus more elliciently exposed to the action of theair current which passes up through the sieve. The particles passing thesieve fall into the compartment 8 the tailings fall into the compartment17 and the light particles into the compartment 9, the other parts ofthe machine being similar to Figs. 1 and 2 and having similar referencenumbers thereon.

1 hat we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A separatingmachine consisting of a casing having expansion spaces and collectingcompartments therein, an air propeller in said casing, a feed hopperwithin the casing the rear wall thereof being inclined, and located inclose proximity to the upwardly names to this specification in thepresence moving part of the propeller so as to direct of tWo subscribingWitnesses.

the air from the propeller across the mouth JACOB BELL HOLGATE. of thehopper and deflecting plates co-operat- CHARLES CLOUGH.

ing with the propeller to form a continuous WVitnesses:

belt of air around said hopper. EDWIN AINsWOR'rH,

In testimony whereof We have signed our I CHARLES HALsTEAD.

